Cognitive behavioural therapy

When suffering from depression or anxiety, ones thoughts and behaviours play a big role. One may struggle with negative thoughts, which can lead to adopting undesirable behaviour, such as avoiding social situations or postponing important tasks. Results may be feeling gloomy or remaining anxious. If you find hinder from these symptoms in your daily life, cognitive behavioural therapy can offer you a solution.

Cognitive therapy

In cognitive therapy, you and your psychologist will address your, often negative, thought patterns, also known as knowledge or cognitions. The principle is that negative interpretations of important events can lead to anxiety, depression and annoyance, which may result in undesirable behaviour. In treatment you are challenged to change your thought patterns in a way that will allow you to assess specific situations realistically again. 

Behavioural therapy

Procrastination, inactivity, pleasing or avoiding (social) situations are just a few examples of undesirable behaviours you may recognise. Behaviour maintains certain beliefs and feelings, and is an important component of cognitive behavioural therapy. In behavioural therapy, you and your psychologist will map out the circumstances in which your undesirable behaviour manifests. Through exercises and homework, your psychologist can help you regain control of your behaviour in difficult situations or to better deal with certain circumstances.

 

Cognitive behavioural therapy thus influences both your thinking patterns as well as your behaviour. Depending on your symptoms, therapy will focus more on either your thought pattern or your behaviour. Research has proven this treatment method to have the same beneficial effects on differents types of patients. 

 

Would you like more information? Please do not hesitate to contact us. 

 

More information about cognitive behavioural therapy can be found on the website of the Association for Behavioural Therapy and Cognitive Therapy (VGCT) (In Dutch).